Broadband surpasses dial-up in first time internet access - tech briefs - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Black Issues in Higher Education, March 28, 2002 by Ronald Roach

NEW YORK

More Americans signing up for first-time Internet access used broadband service in January than dial-up and other narrow-band services, a first, according to the Nielsen/Net Ratings.

This development is considered a milestone event as research continues to show that the Internet is becoming a more integral part of everyday life. It also coincides with the fact that Congress is exploring ways to facilitate wider use of broadband Internet access.

For students, faculty and administrators in American higher education, broadband Internet access is in wide use, allowing the academic sector a richer and more diverse Internet experience than that of the average American consumer.

Broadband use totaled nearly 1.2 billion hours, or about 51 percent, of the 2.3 billion online hours logged during January, according to the audience measurement service. The figures reveal a dramatic increase from more than a year ago, when broadband usage was 727 million hours, or 38 percent of the total time spent online. Narrowband usage online dropped 3 percent, from 1.18 billion hours last January to 1.14 billion a year later, the NetRatings said.

"Broadband surfers spend as much time online as narrowband surfers and also comprise a growing proportion of the overall online population," NetRatings media analyst Jarvis Mak said in a statement. "Increasingly, online business models will be built and marketed with the broadband surfer in mind." Broadband growth indicates greater consumer interest in e-commerce, streaming media and overall Internet content, according to Mak.